Another eventful 24 hours of the Clipper Round The World Race have seen the strong fleet competing in the challenging ocean race across the North Atlantic.
CLIPPER 11-12- RACE 13 - NOVA SCOTIA TO DERRY-LONDONDERRY DAY 3 - Image credit to On Edition
While the winds have eased off slightly along with the spur of sea sickness, thoughts have turned to tactics overnight. The ten yacht entries are considering when to head north towards the optional Scoring Gate, which could give them vital additional points in these final stages of the world’s longest ocean race.
Visit Finland’s skipper, Olly Osborne says, “As the weather changes over the next couple of days it will not only provide respite from the choppy upwind sailing, but should see the fleet turning northward toward the rhumb line route. This will hopefully be a chance for us to take advantage of our northerly position, and to get a head start in the dash for the Scoring Gate. But only time will tell who the weather will favour in this notoriously unpredictable region, and for the meantime it’s still best course to windward.”
The Finnish entry has slipped back into second place, with only one mile separating them and first-place Gold Coast Australia who remains in a more southerly position with the majority of the fleet.
Singapore has moved back up the leader board in third place ahead of Welcome to Yorkshire, currently in fourth. “We now have a couple of days of lighter wind up ahead of us and how we play the taking angles will be essential if we are to pop out the other side and get moving to the north again before our rivals,” says Singapore skipper, Ben Bowley.
The Clipper Race fleet is set to arrive into Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland between 29 June and 1 July.
